Periodontal disease is characterized, in part, by abnormal and excessive degradation of the periodontal organic matrix. This matrix includes the gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum and alveolar bone. These events result in the clinical manifestation of periodontitis, including gingival recession, pocket formation, loss of attachment, and eventual tooth loss. Many different inflammatory mediators are produced by periodontal tissues affected by periodontal disease. Some of these mediators appear to play a central role in the destructive processes observed in cases of periodontal diseases, which has led some investigators to examine the possibility of using certain inflammatory mediators as biomarkers for progressive lesions (Sorsa, T. et al. Arch. Oral. Biol. 35: 193S-196S, 1990: Page, R. C., J. Periodont. Res. 26: 230-242, 1991).